Owner Comments:
The King of all Walker widgets.
Especially in high grade mint state.
The 1946-D Walker has a bad reputation......with a lower mintage number of just 2,151,000 produced and nearing the end of the series; it was widely saved, especially in mint state. It is the second most common in overall mint state to the 1943 P and number one most common in high grade (MS 65 or better) condition. Picking up an example is VERY easy with a multitude of choices. A coin that can be bought any hour of the day and on any day of the week.
This example looked very nice to me, though. It had a great strike, great booming luster and the surfaces look very smooth and mostly original. It fits my set very well and looks much better than many of the MS 66 PCGS examples that I've seen floating around, lately. It is also in an older generation NGC #9 slab, though not a no-line fatty. It is not in a black slab, either, but looks nicer than the recent coin that is in one (MS 65 gold bean) and didn't cost $3750, as the black slab did, either ($4750, now!). I really like the price that I paid for it....about 2-3% of that! lol
It, officially, makes my full Walker set 75% complete and my short Walker set 70% complete. I will continue to work on finishing the short set and also pick up the last two Philly coins that I need for my middle date set.
In general, this issue is struck more on the softer side but bolder examples do come to market. Luster is usually very bright and frosty. As with all Walkers, watch out for dull coins that have been dipped out, even in these higher grades. Surface abrasions aren't usually a significant problem but many are at least mildly abraded. Clean and smooth examples are tougher to locate. Toning varies from white and brilliant to lightly toned to deeply and colorfully toned---it runs the gamut of possibilities. Most, however, are brilliant that I've seen and handled.
There are 21000 to 25000 examples known in overall mint state.
And 13000 to 15000 in MS 65 or better.
Mintage at 2,151,000